Hogwarts Days
by LCH8292
Summary: Another 'Lily's normal' fics... yes, I realize it's done too much. Lily doesn't know why she doesn't fit in. she's fairly normal by what she can tell. Or what she considers normal. more angsty than I nomally write, but with a bit of humor... I can't live
1. The Arrival

**Hogwarts Days:**

**Disclaimer: **So totally not mine… But I think we all know that…

**Summary:** Lily… another one of those 'if she were normal' fics. In this fic, she is normal, because she is me. Lily doesn't know why she doesn't fit in… She just doesn't. She isn't fat… She isn't supermodel thin. She isn't ugly, but she's not stereotypical blonde beauty. She isn't mean, she is known for being nice, but she's also very sarcastic. She has a bit of a weird streak, and everyone knows it. She's friends with most everyone… but is still alone. She has friends… but yet, she doesn't.

**The Arrival:**

"What are you reading?" At the sound of the voice Lily sat up staring around, trying to find where the voice had come from. There at the doorway was a girl about her same age with dirty blonde hair. She was taller than Lily but then, a lot of people were taller than Lily.

"What are you reading?" The girl repeated, coming into the compartment from the corridor and sitting down opposite Lily.

"Um, it's called Inuyasha." Lily said, hesitantly, not knowing what to make of this newcomer.

"I've never heard of it. What's it about."

Lily's shyness was taken from her as she replied, "I'm not going to tell you! You have to read it to find out! Here," she rummaged through her bag. "This is number one. My mom is a witch so she spells my books so they are really small." She set a miniature book on the girl's lap and muttered something. Instantly, the book was as big, and as heavy, as a phone book.

"Ow! It's heavy!"

"Well, yeah. That's a couple volumes there… Start reading." Lily didn't ask or think about if she could trust this girl or not. She could just feel it in her bones that they would be great friends.

"Maybe later… I want to get to know you first. Is that ok?" The girl inquired, moving to put the book back in Lily's lap.

"I suppose." Lily miniaturized her book and set it into her bag. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, first of all, your name."

"I'm Lily. I just turned 11 in August."

"Oh, so you're a first year too? I'm Rachael. Pleased to meet you." They formally shook hands across the compartment then started giggling.

"You know, I'm glad you and I are going to be friends. I knew instantly that we would be great chums."

"I got the same feeling, truly I did!"

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh my, what is that smell? It smells like stink bombs!"

"Stink bombs?"

"They are these really foul smelling things. I bet some prat set them off in the corridor."

"I guess. You're right, they smell awful!"

"Since you don't know what stink pellets are, I'm guessing you're muggleborn?"

"Muggle?"

"Non-magic people."

"Oh, yes, I am."

"Don't say yes, say yesh… it's cooler!"

"Ok. I mean, yesh."

"Good one. Now, let's see who set off the stink pellet." They slid open the door and heard shouting. A couple boys ran past them hands covering their heads. A few older students followed yelling at them. The older students had badges on the front of their robes saying, "Prefect".

"I bet those boys did it."

"I'd agree with that bet." They slid the door shut again. "If they had enough nerve to do that for their first time on the train, I don't know what they are planning to do once they learn magic. They're probably trouble makers."

"So, do you want to chat some more or read?"

"Chatting is more fun. Let's save reading for Hogwarts. Here, give me my book back and I'll lend it to you again later."

The girls chatted on and on till the lights turned on and they had to change.

"How do you put this on?" Rachael asked, holding up her hanger with her whole uniform hanging from it.

"Like this. And the tie goes like this." Lily explained, demonstrating.

"Oh, see, I've never had a uniform like this before."

"I haven't either but Mom quizzed me thoroughly before I left. She was the one who went to Hogwarts you see. Dad's a muggle."

"Ah. Have you been attending regular, or rather, muggle schools till now?"

"Yeah, er, yesh. Dad insisted. So, I know the basics. Dad's also a muggle science professor so I'm really good at math and science. I'm really smart for all my love of comic books!"

"I was really good at school too… I wonder what it will be like at Hogwarts…" Lily heard a note of fear and apprehension in Rachael's voice.

"I don't know either… but don't worry, I'm sure it'll be fine." Lily reassured.

The 1st years got off the train and looked around. They were near a village. Everything _looked_ ordinary. Nearby were some horseless carriages. Lily wondered how they moved. However before she could watch to see if they did move by themselves she felt a poke from Rachael and turned to face the way she was pointing. Both of their mouths' dropped open.

"Firs' years! Firs' years o'er here!" A giant of a man gazed at them. His eyes twinkled friendly but his size was huge! Lily especially was frightened because her Asian blood made her rather short. Rachael and Lily clung to each other as they approached the giant.

"Are all yeh here? Good. Righ' this way, now." They passed a couple trees that revealed a lake. It was all calm and the moon shone on the surface.

"Yeh can't be together. Yeh made a mess on tha train." The giant told the four boys who had set off the stink bomb. "'Ere, two of yeh in this boat and two in this one. 'Ere, you two girls can be with these two. I'm Hagrid by the way."

Lily and Rachael made their way to the boat with the 1st pair of boys. They were undeniably cute. Both had hair the color of ebony. The first had a mop that went all over. The second had it styled so it hung elegantly in his eyes though he kept pushing it away.

"Hi!" Both greeted the girls. The elegant one stuck out a hand, which Rachael took, then instantly yelped and drew away. The boy held up his hand which had a buzzer attached to it. Both started laughing as Rachael looked at the buzzer.

"Idiot!" Lily glared at him viciously. "She didn't do anything to you!" The boy looked taken aback. Maybe he wasn't used to having a girl glare daggers at him.

"Cool it shorty." The mop-haired boy looked alarmed. Lily turned her glare to him instead.

"Do NOT call me shorty. You're not that tall either. I'll bet you haven't reached 5 foot yet either!"

"I'll call you shorty if I want!"

"In that case I'll call you mop-head, mop-head."

Hagrid interrupted. "Allright, everybody board your boats."

After they had gone a ways Rachael patted Lily's shoulder. "Calm down, Lily." She turned to the boys. "Let's start over. Hi! My name is Rachael. My friend here is Lily."

"I'm Sirius Black. And the one who probably has a hole in him because of Lily's glare is James Potter."

"Nice to meet you. Though, I won't shake your hand." Rachael giggled slightly.

"Heh, don't blame ya." Lily joined the conversation in a sarcastic tone.

"Everyone makes mistakes. How was I to know you would kill me several times over with that glare of yours?"

"Oh joy. We are stuck in a boat with blockheads!" Lily's voice dripped sarcasm, turning her infamous glare on Sirius again.

"That was way out of line." James was already annoyed with Lily so he gave her a slight push that sent her overboard.

"What?" Lily's eyes opened wide as she hit the water. "Ahhhhhhhh!" she screamed. Then, "James Potter, you WILL pay!" She swum to the side of the boat as Rachael pulled her back on. She shivered and glared some more at the smirking James and laughing Sirius.

"That was low!" A girl with hair a orangey goldy color, yelled. "Really low!"

Another boat was nearby. "_She_ was out of line? _You_ were out of line James." Another of the boys from the train called out with a grin. "Here, want to borrow my cloak?" He handed it across to Lily who gave him a grateful smile.

"Thanks."

"No problem. My friends have good hearts… They are just… well, quick tempered. I'm Remus by the way. Remus Lupin." He struck a mock-heroic pose.

"Yesh… me too…" Lily admitted sheepishly. "I had a bit of trouble finding the platform. I'm Lily."

Remus and the girls chatted until a gasp arose from everyone around them and they all looked up at a colossal building! It was a humongous castle that had plenty of towers and turrets!

"Oh my!" Lily gasped in amazement, eyes wide.

"It's amazing!" Rachael sighed, taking in all she could.

"Oh my!" James imitated Lily in a high-pitched, squeaky voice.

Lily's blood just boiled over. SLAP! She hit him right across the face so that this time _he_ fell in the water.

"Serves you right!" Lily held her head high while James floundered about before Sirius stopped laughing long enough to pull him out.

"And Remus thinks _I'm_ out of line." James muttered.

"I heard that!" Lily snapped. Remus, Rachael, and the other red headed girl were trying, and failing to contain their laughter.

-.- inside the castle -.-

Lily shivered slightly despite the cloak. She was still very wet. "How long are we going to stand in this hall?"

At that moment, the doors opened and Professor McGonnagal led them into a hall as big as, no, bigger than a house. All the first years looked around them, unable to believe a place like this existed. None of them really paid attention while Professor McGonnagal gave a speech about the castle. Well, the red haired girl did, and so did Remus, but not many others.

"Pay attention!" Professor McGonnagal snapped. "You'll go into the great hall soon to be sorted. Wait here for a minute." And she swept off leaving the 1st years feeling very much alone.

"What do we have to do to get sorted?" Rachael whispered to Lily nervously.

"I don't know… Mom wouldn't say…" Lily answered, "But don't worry, it won't be too difficult."

"I wouldn't be so sure." James smirked from behind them. "For all you know, we could have to fight something awful!"

"Or pull a cat from a hat like muggles!" Sirius agreed.

"Do you mean the book, the Cat in the Hat? Or pulling a rabbit out of the hat?" Remus inquired. Rachael and Lily laughed openly at that statement.

"I'm guessing they're purebloods." Lily directed the question to Remus.

"Yes, and by the way you posed the question I'm guessing you're not!" James interrupted.

"She didn't ask you!" The red head burst into the conversation that was turning into an argument.

"Thank you!" Lily smiled at the girl and stuck out her hand. "I'm Lily."

"Ruth." The girl took the offered hand and shook it formally, her eyes twinkling.

"Rachael." Rachael said, grabbing Ruth's other hand and shaking it enthusiastically. All started to giggle.

"Feh, girls." James scoffed.

"Feh, boys, and who asked you?" Lily rolled her eyes, and then she looked suddenly at James. "Can you roll your eyes?" Everyone looked at her quizzically. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? I just wanna know." She glanced around her. "Well, can you?"

Rachael and Ruth rolled their eyes at the same time with sighs of exasperation. "Yep. I've had a lot of practice. I've got a younger brother you see." Ruth said.

"Really? I've got a lot of practice too, older sister though." Rachael nodded.

"Yeah, my sister keeps me in practice. She just rolls eyes back though." Lily agreed.

Remus rolled his eyes. "I've got them." He jerked his thumb toward his friends and rolled his eyes again. "By the way, since I can do it, it's not only a girl thing." The girls started to giggle. Both James and Sirius tried to roll their eyes. They managed it only by looking very confused.

"Well then Remus, maybe you're an honorary girl." Lily suggested. Everyone laughed at that except Remus who looked slightly offended.

"Being a girl isn't a bad thing you know." Rachael pointed out.

"Yesh, you can do this!" Lily winked and licked her lips suggestively at James who looked scared and backed away. Obviously, she forgot that she was mad at him. "That's Meheen's sexy nojitsu. Hehehe… works every time! Unless they come closer to you… then you run."

"She's mental!" James muttered, hiding behind Sirius.

"Excuse me, that's enough of that!" Professor McGonagall was back and glared at the laughing first years. "Follow me please." She led them into the Great Hall, past the tables where they were closely inspected by the older students, and up to the long table in front where all the professors were seated. A stool sat, right in front and the first years were clustered in front of it.

(song that I'm too lazy to make up)

"Now, I'll call your name and when I do, come forward and put the hat on your head." Professor McGonagall instructed.

(after feast which I'm also too lazy to write about. Just know that Lily, Ruth, the boys, and Meheen, who was Lesley's friend from before Hogwarts and a year ahead, sat together and chatted about stuff that's not important enough to write down. But Rachael was sorted into Ravenclaw.)

"First years! Gryffindor first years! This way! Follow me!" A girl of about 15 called to Ruth and Lily. They waved goodbye to Rachael and followed her out of the hallway. They came to a whole lot of magically moving staircases.

"Whoa… Where do all these go!" Lily exclaimed in surprise. Then turned to Lily saying, "Mom explained this to me slightly… Do you remember Mom's briefing Meheen?"

"Nothing could of prepared you for something like this." A wide-eyed Lily gazed in rapture at the moving stairs.

"I'll show you the quickest route to Gryffindor Tower, but this is only the quickest if the stairs are in a good mood. Otherwise, you'll have to take alternate routes." The female prefect started talking while they climbed stairs. "I'm Molly. My partner here," She indicated the male prefect, "is Arthur. And you can refer to us as Molly and Arthur." (A/N yeah, I know that Arthur and Molly are after Lily and James' time… but… meh… I couldn't think of any good names… so… here they be…)

"These are real people, not just paintings you know. Feel free to talk with them." Arthur added.

"I'll say we're real you young whelp!" An elderly English gentleman yelled. "Don't be impertinent!"

"No, never." Arthur said mildly.

Lesley didn't know how she made it up the stairs. All she knew was that suddenly they were in front of a, for lack of a better word, plump lady, clad in a pink dress. "Password?" she inquired.

"Password's 'insane'." Molly said. "I made it up this time." She winked. "I'm sure you can remember that because that's what you'll be thinking a lot this year!"

The common room was all red and gold. Nice red, plump sofas, golden and red fire, people sitting around in the warmth, all very friendly. "I think I'm gonna like this place!" Lily whispered to Ruth who nodded agreement.

"Girls on the right, boys on the left." Molly was pointing to a staircase. "Don't forget because, especially the guys, because if they try to go up to the girl's dorm, it'll turn into a giant slide, so beware."

They all climbed tiredly up to their dorms. Lily barely registered that her sheets were also red and gold before falling into bed, fully clothed, and falling into a deep sleep.

I think I'll leave it here for now. Next chapter will be their first day at Hogwarts. Hope you like it so far! But like I said, this is vent for me. Review if you wish! Just as a note, this chapter was 9 pages long!


	2. Crying

Crying:

She cried. The tears streaming down her face. Why? Why could this have happened? Why had happened? Was it revenge? Why? Why? Why?

He had been only in his 40s. Only in his 40s or 50s and his life was taken. Why? This was no suicide. No, nothing like that. But yet, he was dead. He should have had 30 or 40 more years to live, but no. He was denied that.

And how? How had it happened? He had been playing golf. Afterward, he was to have gone to his son's game.

But…. He didn't show up.

They went to the golf course, where he'd been last. They found his clubs, by a small pond, 4 ft deep of water.

It couldn't be, could it? How could he have drowned there? The water was only 4 ft deep! But they had to look.

They found it. His body.

So how did that happen? Maybe he had a stoke, and fell in unconscious. Maybe, he felt a need to lie down and rolled in. Maybe… maybe… no one knows. Maybe we don't need to know any farther than, he's gone.

He was gone. So quick, so fast. Just like that. He's gone.

It was unexpected. He wasn't a cancer victim. This was out of the blue. Why him? Why him?

The girl cried. One of her best friend's father had just died. She hadn't seen or spoken with her friend since hearing the tragic news. She was becoming phobic. Almost scared of water. She was also slightly depressed.

She hadn't known the man well. She'd never even met him. But knowing that her friend, would have to live without a father, was almost unbarable.

She cried, thanking all the gods for what she had, and mourning what her friend now did not. She cried, for all the other children whose fathers had left them. She cried, rain pouring down her face.

Once the rain had comforted her. But now, it would sadden her. The rain would remind her. It was water after all. Water, so necessary, but yet, lethal.

She cried, letting all her emotions pour out of her soul.

Confusion engulfed her. She didn't know what to think. How do you confront an idea like that? She went around school as if she didn't know that this had come to pass… But it was horribly true. So terrifyingly close. No one else knew what she was really going through except for those few who knew that same person or knew that same kind of pain. But most did not know. Did not know at all. She was not willing to tell, to divulge another's loss for that would make it even more real. She didn't want sympathy. People saying 'are you crying?' 'Are you ok?' She didn't like being in the center of attention like that. No attention actually.

She let her thoughts wander freely, staring out at the lake; no tears left to shed; feeling so empty and alone; and so emotionless all of a sudden.

Yes… my friend did loose her dad… My confusion is here… And I know it's crap. Don't tell me that because I know. I just… needed to write it somehow… and posting it, just gives me some satisfaction. Its just one of those things. No use writing something if no one can read it in my opinion. Well, some things are private… but I needed to just say _something! Anything!_


End file.
